Nazi ‘gold train’ treasure hunters show alleged picture of found wagons

This is the now famous image taken by Piotr Koper and Andreas Liechter, who claim they know the whereabouts of a Nazi gold train. (Image by Gazeta Wroclawska newspaper via Twitter)

The search for a long-lost Nazi train, carrying what is believed to be billions of dollars in gold, intensified Thursday after a Polish newspaper published a photo of the alleged hidden wagons and said a tunnel dating from WWII has also been found near the site.

According to Gazeta Wroclawska (in Polish) the newly found tunnel is said to be near the village of Walim, 19 km (12 miles) from Walbrzych, where hundreds of treasure hunters and journalists have been flocking to since mid-August, after two men claimed they knew of the Nazi train whereabouts.

“To our knowledge, the tunnel was discovered by the same two men who claimed to have found the gold train,” says the newspaper article. It adds that German Andreas Richter and Pole Piotr Koper used a 1926 railway map that led them to the tunnel where the train is supposed to be, near to the former railway station in Walim.

According to tales that have circulated since WWII, the Nazis hid a train containing up to 300 tons of gold, as well as diamonds and firearms.

Radar image posted on Ritcher and Koper’s website that allegedly shows the train. © 2015 XYZ Spółka Cywilna Piotr Koper & Andreas Richter | Logowanie.

The Polish government has done little to dampen speculation, as authorities have declared they were “99% certain” the train actually exists (watch video below).

The Polish military has urged caution in the search for the missing train, especially after a 39-year-old treasure seeker died yesterday when falling into a pit beneath an old German tomb in his search for the rumoured secret tunnels. His two colleagues have since been arrested on desecration charges.

A number of trains are believed to have been used by the Nazis in the 1940s to transport goods stolen from people in Eastern Europe back to Berlin. While some might have made it to the German capital, others are said to have been left behind by Soviet troops, as they advanced in 1945.

The Polish government has announced a press conference for Friday where it will unveil more details on the alleged discovery.